USA Drivers
How careful are drivers in USA?
What is the minimum age to drive in USA?
What are the statistics for driving fatalities in USA?
What is unique about driving in USA? For instance, is it left or right side of the road for vehicles, who usually has the 'right of way', the maximum speed limit, and so forth?
US Traffic Fatalities Fall Sharply
Car / Auto Mechanic News
Road deaths down 4.2 percent in 2013, reversing upward surge in 2012.
Source
Fewer Kids Die In Crashes But Its Still Too Many CDC Says
Better car seats, air bags and seat belts have helped cut the number of children who die in car crashes by 43 percent since 2002, federal researchers say. But more than 9,000 children died in car crashes over the past decade and fully a third of them weren?t wearing seat belts.
Source
House passes stopgap highway funding bill
The House on Tuesday passed a bill to extend highway construction funding through next May, heading off a looming shortfall in the highway trust fund. President Obama has endorsed the stopgap measure, though he and other Democrats argue that Congress needs to pass a long-term measure to change the way the highway construction is funded. Ref. USAToday
Approximately 50% of Americans admit they have ran a red light.
How careful are drivers in USA? I would say that the USA drivers are about average on safety. As advances in safety equipment keeps improving we will see drivers getting safer and safer as long as they do not drive distracted. I think world wide the worse drivers are those who drive while distracted.
What is the minimum age to drive in USA? A person can drive in the US by themselves at the age of 5 with a school permit. This allows them to drive to school and home or to work and home only. They are not supposed to have others in the vehicle with them unless it is an adult. I personally think that is too young. I think having a learners permit from 14- 16 is good and then after passing drivers ED and being tested by the DOT to get a license is good enough. Thus 16 should be the youngest drivers as they are a little bit more mature behind the wheel.
What are the statistics for driving fatalities in USA? Every state keeps their own statics but from what I have heard and read fatalities are up this year nationwide. I am not sure the root cause of this but I have a feeling that cell phones and distracted driving while texting will be a major player in this stats.
What is unique about driving in USA? For instance, is it left or right side of the road for vehicles, who usually has the 'right of way', the maximum speed limit, and so forth? As we drive on the right hand side of the road so does the Right of way go to the person on the right at intersections not controlled by lights. It is always proper to yield to the right of way when entering a major highway. This means you may have to slow down to safely merge if traffic is heavy. It is my belief that the roads will be a lot safer with driverless cars. Less distractions that way.
Senators call on big retail to end labor abuse in trucking and pledge to end 'rampant mistreatment' of drivers. A group of high-profile Democratic senators including Elizabeth Warren and Dianne Feinstein wrote letters to top retail CEOs Monday, demanding they crack down on trucking companies that they say have turned their workers into modern-day indentured servants. Ref. USAToday.